Not Applicable
This invention relates to a fluid ejection chip. More particularly, this invention relates to a fluid ejection chip that includes a plurality of symmetrically actuated, moving nozzle arrangements.
The following applications are incorporated by reference:
As set out in the above referenced applications/patents, the Applicant has spent a substantial amount of time and effort in developing printheads that incorporate micro electromechanical system (MEMS)xe2x80x94based components to achieve the ejection of ink necessary for printing.
As a result of the Applicant""s research and development, the Applicant has been able to develop printheads having one or more printhead chips that together incorporate up to 84 000 nozzle arrangements. The Applicant has also developed suitable processor technology that is capable of controlling operation of such printheads. In particular, the processor technology and the printheads are capable of cooperating to generate resolutions of 1600 dpi and higher in some cases. Examples of suitable processor technology are provided in the above referenced patent applications/patents.
The Applicant has overcome substantial difficulties in achieving the necessary ink flow and ink drop separation within the ink jet printheads.
As can be noted in the above referenced patents/patent applications, a number of printhead chips developed by the Applicant include a structure that defines an ink ejection port. The structure is displaceable with respect to the substrate to eject ink from a nozzle chamber. This is a result of the displacement of the structure reducing a volume of ink within the nozzle chamber. A particular difficulty with such a configuration is achieving a sufficient extent and speed of movement of the structure to achieve ink drop ejection. On the microscopic scale of the nozzle arrangements, this extent and speed of movement can be achieved to a large degree by ensuring that movement of the ink ejection structure is as efficient as possible.
The Applicant has conceived this invention to achieve such efficiency of movement. Further, the development of this technology has permitted the Applicant the opportunity to develop a fluid ejection chip that incorporates an improved efficiency of movement.
According to the invention, there is provided a fluid ejection chip for a fluid ejection device, the fluid ejection chip comprising
a substrate; and
a plurality of nozzle arrangements that are positioned on the substrate, each nozzle arrangement comprising
a nozzle chamber defining structure positioned on the substrate to define a nozzle chamber;
an active fluid-ejecting structure that is operatively positioned with respect to the nozzle chamber and is displaceable with respect to the substrate to eject fluid from the nozzle chamber; and
at least two actuators that are operatively arranged with respect to the active fluid-ejecting structure to displace the active fluid-ejecting structure towards and away from the substrate, the actuators being configured and connected to the active fluid-ejecting structure to impart substantially rectilinear movement to the active fluid-ejecting structure.
The fluid ejection chip may be the product of an integrated circuit fabrication technique. Thus, the substrate may incorporate CMOS drive circuitry, each actuator being connected to the CMOS drive circuitry.
Each nozzle chamber defining structure may include a static fluid-ejecting structure and the active fluid-ejecting structure, with the active fluid-ejecting structure defining a roof with a fluid ejection port defined in the roof, so that the static and active fluid-ejecting structures define the nozzle chamber and the displacement of the active fluid-ejecting structure results in the ejection of fluid from the fluid ejection port.
A number of actuators may be positioned in a substantially rotationally symmetric manner about each active fluid-ejecting structure.
Each nozzle arrangement may include a pair of substantially identical actuators, one actuator positioned on each of a pair of opposed sides of the active fluid-ejecting structure.
Each active fluid-ejecting structure may include sidewalls that depend from the roof. The sidewalls may be dimensioned to bound the corresponding static fluid-ejecting structure.
Each static fluid-ejecting structure may define a fluid displacement formation that is spaced from the substrate and faces the roof of the active fluid-ejecting structure. Each fluid displacement formation may define a fluid displacement area that is dimensioned to facilitate ejection of fluid from the fluid ejection port, when the active fluid-ejecting structure is displaced towards the substrate.
The substrate may define a plurality of fluid inlet channels, one fluid inlet channel opening into each respective nozzle chamber at a fluid inlet opening.
The fluid inlet channel of each nozzle arrangement may open into the nozzle chamber in substantial alignment with the fluid ejection port. Each static fluid-ejecting structure may be positioned about a respective fluid inlet opening.
Each actuator may be in the form of a thermal bend actuator. Each thermal bend actuator may be anchored to the substrate at one end and movable with respect to the substrate at an opposed end. Further, each thermal bend actuator may have an actuator arm that bends when differential thermal expansion is set up in the actuator arm. Each thermal bend actuator may be connected to the CMOS drive circuitry to bend towards the substrate when the thermal bend actuator receives a driving signal from the CMOS drive circuitry.
Each nozzle arrangement may include at least two coupling structures. One coupling structure being positioned intermediate each actuator and the respective active fluid-ejecting structure. Each coupling structure may be configured to accommodate both arcuate movement of said opposed end of each thermal bend actuator and said substantially rectilinear movement of the active fluid-ejecting structure.
Each active fluid-ejecting structure and each static fluid-ejecting structure may be shaped so that, when fluid is received in the nozzle chamber, the fluid-ejecting structures and the fluid define a fluidic seal to inhibit fluid from leaking out of the nozzle chamber between the fluid-ejecting structures.
The invention extends to a fluid ejection device that includes at least one fluid ejection chip as described above.
The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description is not intended to limit the broad scope of the above summary or the broad scope of the appended claims. Still further, for purposes of convenience, the following description is directed to a printhead chip. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is applicable to a wider range of devices, which Applicant has referred to generically as a xe2x80x9cfluid ejection chipxe2x80x9d.